Orioles turn page from sweep, beat White Sox, 2-1, behind Brandon Young
CHICAGO — The Baltimore Orioles needed a strong pitching performance to stabilize their rotation. It came from one of their most unlikely sources Monday night. Making his first major league start of the season, Brandon Young threw five scoreless innings to lead the Orioles to a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.
The right-hander was perhaps as low as eighth on the club’s starting pitching depth chart when the season began, but injuries and a slow start for its rotation forced Baltimore to call Young up just 10 games in. He delivered, showcasing a new-look arsenal that now includes a two-seam fastball and working efficiently to blank the lowly White Sox on two hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Young threw first-pitch strikes to 13 of the 18 batters he faced and induced six ground-ball outs.
Coming off a rookie season in which he posted a 6. 24 ERA, Young made the most of his first opportunity to show he can take a step forward in his sophomore campaign. The Orioles (4-6) broke up a three-game losing streak after the Pittsburgh Pirates swept them over the weekend.
Their biggest swing of the day came courtesy of Gunnar Henderson, who launched his third home run of the season with a 105. 3 mph solo shot down the right-field line that snuck inside the foul pole in the sixth. Their other run, however, was bittersweet.
Tyler O’Neill stepped up to the plate in the fourth with Adley Rutschman on first base and skied a pop fly to the third-base side. The ball appeared to be headed for foul territory, but on a windy night at Rate Field, it drifted back toward the line. Former Orioles outfielder Austin Hays was running toward the ball when he pulled his right hamstring, forcing him to come up lame.